Fair Housing Testing Coordinator - Legal Assistance of Western New York : Job Details

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY) is seeking a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator to join our team. Fair Housing Testing is one method of investigating discrimination in violation of fair housing laws. Testers pose, typically as renters, to observe the practices of housing providers to confirm compliance with fair housing laws. The Coordinator will oversee the use of testing by the testers as an investigative tool, both to identify potential discrimination and to respond to specific complaints of discrimination. The Testing Coordinator will have their choice of which of our 7 offices they would like to work out of, contingent upon office space. These offices include: Ithaca, Bath, Geneva, Rochester, Jamestown, Olean or Elmira. This position can be done remotely however it will require some travel for outreach and in-office events.

Responsibilities of this position will include recruiting fair housing testers; designing and conducting tester trainings; designing systemic and complaint-based tests; preserving and controlling evidence; preparing investigative reports; and analyzing test reports. The Coordinator will maintain detailed case records and assist with reporting. The Coordinator must be available to work outside normal business hours on occasion to conduct outreach and to de-brief testers.

Qualifications These are the basic requirements for the position.

• Associate's degree, and/or relevant work experience
• Demonstrated commitment to helping poor and disadvantaged people overcome institutional barriers to legal access.
• Experience with data management systems and use of Google Workspace and Microsoft Suite.

Compensation Package The beginning salary for a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator with no experience is $33,670 and the salary for a Fair Housing Testing Coordinator with thirty years of experience is $64,620. Salary will be based on experience. LawNY is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).

LawNY provides an excellent package of fringe benefits including:

• 94% Employer paid Medical Premium with 100% Employer paid in-network deductible
• 100% Employer paid Dental Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer paid Enhanced Short-term Disability
• 100% Employer paid Long-term Disability
• Vision Insurance
• 20 Paid Vacation days per year
• 12 Sick days per year
• 5 Personal days per year
• 13.5 Holidays plus 2 floating Holidays per year
• 35-Hour Work Week

Responsibilities These are the most significant responsibilities and primary functions of the position.

• Conduct community outreach events across LawNY's 14-county service area regarding federal and state fair housing protections.
• Recruit and screen fair housing testers.
• Design and conduct tester training sessions.
• Design systemic and compliant-based testing as a tool for uncovering and investigating potential fair housing discrimination.
• Preserve and control evidence, including maintaining physical and digital evidence in accordance with LawNY testing policies.
• Prepare investigative reports and an analysis of each test conducted.
• Maintain detailed case records and assist with reporting.
• Develop specialized knowledge in fair housing and fair lending law to support litigation.
• Participate in LawNY workgroups as well as attend training sessions to keep abreast of current developments in fair housing law and testing best practices.

Additional Traits and Skills These are the traits, attributes, attitudes, and skills that speak to the candidate's ability to succeed in the position. While no one candidate will possess all of the qualities listed, the ideal candidate will have many of these qualities. LawNY encourages each candidate to think about their own personal knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as professional skills and experience in relation to this list.

• Familiarity with federal/state protected classes and/or federal/state fair housing laws
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to give precise and easy to follow instructions
• Comfort conducting both one-on-one and large-scale community outreach events and experience recruiting volunteers
• Highly organized and detail oriented
• High level of comfort with technology, including audio recording equipment, equipment to duplicate audio recordings, Zoom or equivalent remote meeting platforms, Docusign or equivalent software for remote data collection and signatures, and the Google Suite
• An understanding of the concepts of structural and institutional racism and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
• Lived experience with our client communities.
• True fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by our clients.

Organization Information Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY) is a not-for-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income clients in a 14-county area of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. LawNY has seven fully staffed field offices in Bath, Elmira, Geneva, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, satellite offices in Lakeville and Lyons, and a business office in Rochester.

LawNY is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are increasingly committed to creating a law firm where race equity, diversity and cultural competency are integral components of our work, from client advocacy to internal operations.